TEEN ON TRIAL FOR
POSTING PHOTO OF
FRIEND
Family claim Facebook snap
breached daughter’s privacy
A 13-YEAR-OLD girl is on trial
accused of violating her friend’s
privacy by posting her picture on
social media without consent.
The school pupil is being prosecuted
at Abu Dhabi Misdemeanor Court
after the photographed girl’s parents
filed a case with prosecutors. The
court heard the Arab girls were close
friends and classmates at their school
in Abu Dhabi.
Prosecutors said the image was not
indecent and the girl was wearing a
headscarf. But they said the girl’s
mother became angry when she
spotted the image on the Facebook
page of her daughter’s friend, who

By Ismail Sebugwaawo
claims the daughter asked her to post
it. In court, the family were described
as conservative and religious.
A prosecutor said: “The mother got
angry and informed her husband
about their daughter’s picture.
“When they asked their daughter,
she told them that she did not know
how her photo was taken and
never authorised her friend to post
her picture.”
Prosecutors said it was clear the girl
had posed for the photo.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Imagine if he was retiring...
Gerrard fanfare was a
bit over the top
>> FULL STORY PAGE 23

2

7DAYS

NEWS

Drug haul
hidden in
car seat

Man caught with stash of pills
A SUSPECTED drug smuggler was
caught with two million pills worth
more than Dhs100 million on the street,
police said.
The 27-year-old man was caught on
the Saudi-UAE border crossing at
Ghuwaifat on Thursday, Abu Dhabi
Police said.
Ofﬁcers said the huge haul had
been carefully hidden inside the
seats in his 4x4 and in the car’s
body panels.
Colonel Rashid Mohammed Bourshid,
director of CID, said the suspect was
caught in coordination with Dubai
Police after the force was tipped off that
the man was attempting to smuggle
illegal anaesthetics.
The suspect is from a GCC country but

By Ismail Sebugwaawo
his nationality was not released by
police yesterday.
“The man was caught with anaesthetic
drugs worth Dhs104 million. He
was hiding the drugs in his vehicle,”
said Bourshid.
He said several bottles of alcohol
were also found.
Police said the man confessed to
attempting to smuggle drugs out of
the UAE. He said he was transporting
the drugs for a dealer he met who
offered him cash.
Abu Dhabi Police said the suspect
(pictured) has been referred to prosecutors to be charged.
ismail@days.ae

MONDAY MAY 18, 2015

Pic ‘posed threat’
... continued from page one
But the mother stressed it posed a threat
to her daughter, claiming a public
picture of her could have been used for
blackmail purposes.
When questioned, the accused said: “I
didn’t have to seek her consent because
she’s the one who asked me to take her
photo and post it on my page.”
She claimed her friend was lying, which
resulted in her parents taking action.
Prosecutors said the case had to be
taken to court because the teen could
not produce proof her friend had given
her permission.
Ofﬁcials said an out-of-court settlement
between the parents was not possible.
Prosecutors warned that posting people’s
pictures or videos without consent is an
offence and could lead to court action.
The punishment for violating privacy
online is determined by the judge but
can include being banned from using
social media.
The trial continues.
ismail@7days.ae

Tourist handed prison
term for touching Dubai
policewoman in station
A
VISITOR
has
been
convicted of molestation
after tapping a policewoman
on the shoulder at a metro
station to get her attention.
The Kazakh national, aged
49, was handed a threemonth
jail
sentence
yesterday along with a
Dhs2,000 ﬁne for assaulting
another ofﬁcer by pushing
him away.
Dubai Court of First
Instance also ordered the
man to be deported on his
release from prison.
Earlier,
prosecutors
told the court that the
man explained he
had been seeking
directions at Dubai
Mall Metro Station
on December 2 at
around 4pm.
He approached
the
police
ofﬁcer, who was
speaking
to
other people in
the station, and
tapped her on the
shoulder.
The 21-year-old
Emirati
ofﬁcer
testiﬁed: “He asked
me
about
the
location of Dubai

By Ali Al Shouk
Mall and I pointed in
the direction.
“I asked him why he
touched me and he answered
in his own language, which I
didn’t understand.”
The ofﬁcer said the tourist
then touched her hand and
she became angry, telling him
to follow her to a nearby
police post, but he refused.
“Two policemen came and
asked him to come to the post
and he resisted, pushing
them away,” she said.
“He even tried to touch me
again but the policemen
stopped him.”
One of the male ofﬁcers, a
22-year-old Emirati, said he
went over and intervened
after hearing his colleague
telling the tourist not to
touch her.
He said: “I asked him to
come with me, but he refused
and pushed me.
“I restrained him with
my colleague.”
The court heard that CCTV
footage
showed
the
defendant speaking with the
policewoman and touching
her arm.
ali.shouk@7days.ae

NEWS IN BRIEF
Rain project bids
up for discussion
ABU DHABI: Firms that have entered
the UAE Rain Enhancement project
are having their bids assessed at a
summit today.
Some 78 companies and research
centres have put forward ideas they
believe could improve the amount of
rainfall and benefit arid regions like
the Middle East. The UAE Ministry
for Presidential Affairs is offering a
grant of $5 million to the top five
research proposals. Panel Chair
Dr Kathie L Olsen said the move
was an opportunity to support an
“underfunded” field.

On the road to
tourist training
SHARJAH: Taxi drivers are to undergo
training to better equip them to deal
with members of the public, the
emirate’s tourism body has said.
Sharjah Commerce and Tourism
Development Authority said the
‘Marhabtain’ scheme, meaning ‘Most
Welcome’ in English, will see drivers
brush up on local knowledge
including key facts, tourist locations
and when and where events are
taking place.
About 5,000 drivers will be trained
over the next year or two, the
authority said.

MONDAY MAY 18, 2015

NEWS

Big screen bonanza
UAE ﬁrm ploughs
Dhs1 billion into
VOX cinemas
By 7DAYS News Team
A CINEMA chain is investing Dhs1 billion as it
aims to improve and expand its theatres.
Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas, which runs VOX
Cinema, announced in March that it was to
spend Dhs750 million on expansion.
However, yesterday, it said it had decided to up
that to Dhs1 billion.
It said the money would be used to improve
existing cinemas as well as to open new
locations in current and new MENA markets.
The ﬁrm said it hoped the investment would
help it attract a further 50 million customers over
the next ﬁve years.
VOX Cinemas, which opened its ﬁrst cinema at
Ajman City Centre in 1999, said it has grown to
be the region’s largest cinema exhibitor, holding
the coveted position as the number one highest
grossing cinema in each of the markets in which
it operates.
In the ﬁrst three months of 2015 alone, it said
that cinema admissions were up 50 per cent on
the same period last year.
Cameron Mitchell, chief executive ofﬁcer at
Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas - VOX Cinemas, said:
“Over the last few years we have built the

JUST THE TICKET: An impression of a MAX screen at the new VOX Cinema at Burjuman

VOX Cinemas business from the ground up
with Majid Al Futtaim, their vision and
commitment to our brand have been key drivers
of our success.
“This investment will further enable us to
maintain our position at the forefront of the
regional cinema industry whilst supporting our
continuous efforts to innovate and create great
moments for everyone every day.”
For its 15th anniversary, Majid Al Futtaim
Cinemas said it plans to screen more than 5,000

ﬁlms to 50 million customers in the Middle East.
As well as 129 screens across the UAE, Oman
and Lebanon, the company opened its 10th VOX
Cinema in the UAE and the 13th VOX Cinema in
the region at Burjuman Mall in Dubai at
the weekend.
The cinema boasts 14 screens, including four
VOX GOLD screens, one VOX MAX big screen
experience and one VOX Kids theatre for private
parties and children’s events.
news@7days.ae

7DAYS

5

Court upholds
verdict over
patient’s death
at hospital
PROSECUTORS have lost their
appeal against the acquittal of a
doctor accused of failing to
resuscitate a patient.
The Indian medic had been found
not guilty by Dubai Court of First
Instance of allowing a 64-year-old
female patient to die at the hospital
where he worked.
The patient, who was Indian, died
on January 5, 2012.
Prosecutors said the doctor decided
not to resuscitate the woman when
she stopped breathing. They said
this violated regulations in the
UAE which state that all necessary
procedures must be taken to
resuscitate patients.
However, a document attached to
the case ﬁle stated that the woman’s
family had requested that medical
staff not revive the patient as she
was suffering from an advanced
stage of breast cancer. They said she
had suffered from the disease since
2005 and it was now causing
breathing and heart problems and
the woman had stopped eating.
After the acquittal, prosecutors
challenged the verdict, however
Dubai Court of Appeal has upheld
the decision of the lower court.

6

7DAYS

NEWS

MONDAY MAY 18, 2015

Pet cat shot
with bow
and arrow

Mum calls police over horrific attack
A DISTRAUGHT pet owner is calling for
By Duncan Hare
justice after her 10-month-old cat was shot
with a bow and arrow.
“Who could do this? I’ve lived here for six years
Adele Bezuidenhout’s Arabian Mau cat Jack, in the same house and can’t think of anybody I
who she rescued last year, required emergency know that could do this.
surgery after being struck by an unknown
“And, it’s a compound, what if they’d missed
attacker in a “barbarian act” near her home in Jack and hit a child having a barbecue?”
Abu Dhabi on Friday night.
The mum, who has three sons, said she found
But despite the arrow crushing a vertebrae, Jack wandering the streets in December 2014
Jack survived and, although in a lot of pain, and took him in.
should make a full recovery eventually.
Daoud’s report said that Jack was brought in
Bezuidenhout, who has reported the attack to the hospital at 9.30pm.
to the police, believes the shooter to be an
He said: “Jack was placed on intravenous
adult - and a neighbour.
ﬂuids and put under a general anaesthetic
The South African national told 7DAYS: “He in order to cut the long part of
was deﬁnitely shot with
the arrow.
a bow and arrow.
“Radiographs were
“ONLY
AN
ADULT
COULD
“I spoke to a man from
obtained to reveal the
the national archery HAVE DONE THIS”
arrow crushed the
federation who said the
ﬁfth spinous process
– JACK’S OWNER, ADELE BEZUIDENHOUT
strength of the arrow
of the vertebrae.”
meant it had to be a
Jack,
whose
strong bow and only an adult could have done it.” treatment cost Dhs2,300, was placed on pain
She added: “That’s the scary part - but the other relief and antibiotics.
scary part is it has to be one of my neighbours.”
Bezuidenhout, who has asked security to see
The Raha Gardens resident lives in a compound if there is CCTV footage of the incident, initially
in the capital. She said Jack was attacked “in spoke to police after the attack but now said
surroundings of Gate 18” - but doesn’t know she has more evidence - in the form of the
exactly where. Jack staggered into a neighbour’s arrow and medical report - to show them.
house after the attack, which she said he visits
An ofﬁcial at Khalifa City A Police Station
often, while they were having dinner.
conﬁrmed that they had received a
They rushed him to the Australian Veterinary complaint about the incident and would
Hospital and Bezuidenhout was contacted and investigate the matter after receiving a full
“made aware of the severity of the situation”, a statement.
vet’s note written by Dr Fadi Daoud said.
Bezuidenhout said: “The person who did this
Bezuidenhout said: “The sad part is it must’ve might never be found. But I want the person
been one of my neighbours who did this, as Jack who did this to see what they’ve done.”
was not able to walk very far.
duncan.hare@7days.ae

SICK: Adele Bezuidenhout, pictured
with Jack, fears a neighbour may
have ﬁred the arrow at her cat

Pedal power on parade at Yas circuit
YAS Marina Circuit has announced a
partnership with GHQ Armed Forces that will
see the Abu Dhabi venue become the ofﬁcial
training ground for the UAE Army’s cycling
ﬁtness initiatives.
The partnership will see 200 camouﬂage
branded bikes donated to Yas Marina Circuit
by GHQ Armed Forces to be used for training
by army personnel. The army’s training

programme will be held during the circuit’s
popular weekly training nights, TrainYAS and
GoYAS by Daman’s Activelife.
The launch of the programme will be held at
TrainYAS tomorrow.
To kickstart proceedings, spectators will
be treated to a marching band and
paratroopers from the Armed Forces
parachuting into the circuit.

Poor visibility predicted
THE UAE could be set for more inclement weather.
The National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology
(NCMS) last night warned motorists of the effects of poor
visibility, which is currently below 2,000m, due to northwesterly winds blowing sand and dust into the air, state
news agency WAM said.
In a statement, the NCMS said that drivers should be
cautious on roads, reduce speed and leave enough
distance between themselves and other vehicles.
Cautious driving is particularly important on open roads,
the NCMS said.

NEWS

MONDAY MAY 18, 2015

‘Phony
royal’ in
con case
Woman handed over gold
AN UNEMPLOYED man has
been accused of posing as a
member of the Dubai royal
family in a bid to steal
jewellery in a scam.
The 35-year-old Emirati
allegedly made a fake
passport copy of a royal as
part of his plan to make off
with more than Dhs20,000 of
gold from an Iranian woman.
Dubai Court of First Instance
heard that, on August 6, last
year, the man met the woman
via BlackBerry messenger and,
while chatting, told her he was
a member of the ruling family.
She said in her testimony:
“He sent me a picture of
his passport copy and it
mentioned a Sheikh’s name.”
The woman said that, after a
while, the man asked her to
give him some gold jewellery
as he owned gold shops and
wanted to check the gold to
see if it was real.
“I gave him the gold as I
believed he was a royal,” the
woman said.

By Ali Al Shouk
“He didn’t give the gold back
and sold it, so I went to the
police station and lodged a
complaint”.
The defendant allegedly
took the jewellery to a gold
shop owned by an Indian man
in Abu Dhabi and sold it for
Dhs20,250.
“I knew him as he lived near
the shop and I’d known his
family for years,” the 58-yearold shop owner said.
“He came to me and gave
me some gold, claiming it
belonged to his wife and I
bought it from him.
“After that I received a call
from police asking me to
return the gold, but I had
already melted some of it.”
The jewellery case was
adjourned yesterday.
The defendant is on trial in a
separate case accused of
borrowing his ﬁance’s car
then selling it for Dhs433,000.
ali.shouk@7days.ae

Box lorry rolls
in accident
A TRUCK ﬂipped over on Sheikh Zayed Road as it was
heading towards Abu Dhabi about 9.30am yesterday,
causing trafﬁc delays, police said.
Colonel Saif Muhair Al Mazroui, director of Dubai Trafﬁc
Police, said the driver lost control and crashed into two
vehicles before toppling over. The truck was carrying a
shipment of boxes that fell off, partly blocking the road.
“We rushed to the scene to control the trafﬁc as many
lanes were blocked,” Al Mazroui said.
The road was back to normal after couple of hours.
Nobody was injured.

DECEIVED: The couple had got engaged

7DAYS 7
No ring of truth to man’s proposal
A JILTED lover has been sentenced
to three months in prison followed
by deportation for threatening to kill
his ex-girlfriend unless she agreed to
marry him.
Dubai Court of First Instance was
told the Lebanese man sent the 27year-old Iranian a threatening text
message after she dumped him.
He also allegedly tried to blackmail
her using a sex tape they had
recorded while together.
Prosecutors said the man, 32, had
known the woman since 2011 as he
was her manager.
They had been engaged for some time

- however the woman discovered her
ﬁance had a wife and children, so she
ended the relationship.
“He proposed and we got engaged,”
she said. “But then I discovered that
he was married and has children in
Lebanon. He wasn’t honest with me
so I dumped him.”
The court was told the man
bombarded her with calls and, in
May last year, sent her a threat via
SMS, saying that he would kill her if
she married anyone else.
Both the defendant and the woman
face a separate case at Misdemeanour
Court of having an illegal affair.

8

7DAYS

NEWS

MONDAY MAY 18, 2015

Businessman vows
to challenge verdict
on bounced cheque
By 7DAYS News Team
A BUSINESSMAN accused of bouncing
cheques in an ongoing legal dispute with
an investor has vowed to clear his name
through the courts.
7DAYS reported last month that a British
expat claimed he lost Dhs16 million in an
investment deal related to a car rental ﬁrm.
However the businessman, FP, claims the
investor, PM, has in fact already received a
return of 60 per cent on his investment
over a period of two years; before the
partnership then turned sour.
FP says a number of cheques had been
written under the old name of the company
and needed to be transferred to the
company’s new name after it was changed
in October 2014.
He said that the investor knew this was
the case as he was a partner in the

Diversions
planned for
phase two

Executive
dismisses claim
from investor
company when the name change took place.
FP said: “When my lawyers sent him
notices he refused to exchange the
cheques and instead asked for the amount
to be paid to him with, what we felt was,
unreasonable interest and vindictively
banked the cheques and lodged a case.”
The businessman also claims that the
proposed Dhs16 million is a “ridiculous
exaggeration” and the amount currently in

dispute is far less, in relation to the exparty judgement given against him by the
court in absentia.
He added that all judgements are
reversible on payment of a claim in
relation to the ex-party judgement.
He added: “I am a businessman with a
family and have been doing business in
the UAE for over 12 years now with varied
business interests overseas as well.
Those cheques should never have
been deposited.”
FP also believes court documents seen by
7DAYS as part of the previous article failed
to tell the whole story.
He said the accusations being made
against him have been “blown out of
proportion” and "hurt both him and his
family” and added: “The matters are all still
subjudice and I have full faith in the Dubai
law. The truth and law will prevail.”

Crown prince dives in

THE Road and Transport
Authority (RTA) has started
the second phase of the
main diversion works on Al
Wasl Road near Safa Park as
part of the work on the
Dubai Water Canal project.
More than a third of the
project has been completed,
said the RTA.
The diversion will affect
trafﬁc on Al Bili Road and
Al Athar Road, which will
be partially closed near Al
Wasl Road.
“Arrangements are in hand
for constructing alternative
roads to Al Hadiqa Road to
enable the smooth
construction of bridges on Al
Hadiqa Road,” said Maitha
bin Udai, CEO of RTA Trafﬁc
and Roads Agency.

Film festival
ready to roll
THE sixth edition of the
Zayed University Middle East
Film Festival takes place this
week at the university.
The Abu Dhabi event, which
starts today, has attracted
submissions from student
ﬁlmmakers from 40
universities in 15 countries.
The festival will be held under
the patronage of HH Sheikha
Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi,
Minister of International
Cooperation and Development
and president of the university.

HH SHEIKH Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of
Dubai, posted this photo on Instagram using the #MyDubai hashtag on his @faz3
proﬁle. By last night, more than 74,000 people had liked it.

MONDAY MAY 18, 2015

NEWS

7DAYS

9

Sister act draws pilgrims to Vatican

TWO nuns from what was 19th century Palestine have been canonised by Pope Francis in the hope of sending a message
of encouragement to Christians in the Middle East who facing persecution from extremists.
Sisters Mariam Bawardy and Marie Alphonsine Ghattas were among four nuns who were made saints yesterday at a Mass
in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and an estimated 2,000 pilgrims from the
region, some waving Palestinian flags, were on hand for the canonisation of the first saints from the Holy Land since the
early years of Christianity. The nuns are also the first Arabic-speaking Catholic saints.

Discussions on to
end migrant crisis
MALAYSIA has launched a series of highlevel talks with its neighbours in an effort
to ﬁnd a solution to the deepening crisis
in which thousands of refugees are
stranded in boats off south-east Asia’s
shores, with no country in the region
willing to take them in.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah
Aman met with his counterpart from
Bangladesh, Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali,
ahead of meetings scheduled with the
Indonesian and Thai foreign ministers in
the coming days, said an ofﬁcial.
Boatloads of more than 2,000 members
of Myanmar’s ethnic Rohingya Muslim
community ﬂeeing persecution and
migrants from Bangladesh trying to
escape poverty have landed in Indonesia,
Malaysia and Thailand in recent weeks.
But thousands more are stranded at sea
after a crackdown on human trafﬁckers

Malaysia to host
talks as thousands
remain stranded
prompted captains and smugglers to
abandon their human cargo.
Malaysia is the current chair of the
10-nation Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN), which has been criticised
for long ignoring the plight of the Rohingya.
On Friday, Malaysian Prime Minister
Najib Razak vowed to take action amid
calls from the international community.
“This is an issue of international and
regional importance,” Najib said. “We are

Harry credits army

Sailor dies in hotel fall
A US sailor has died after falling from a hotel balcony in
Bahrain, according to navy officials.
US 5th Fleet spokesman Cmdr Kevin Stephens said
yesterday the sailor died the previous evening while on
liberty in the capital, Manama.
He says the Navy is cooperating with Bahraini officials in the
investigation. The sailor's name was not released.
The USS Farragut, on which the sailor was stationed, is part
of the strike group which is conducting airstrikes against
the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant.

in contact with all relevant parties, with
whom we share the desire to ﬁnd a
solution to this crisis.”
ASEAN adheres to a strict policy of noninterference, which in the past has
blocked public criticism of Myanmar and
critics say enables member states to
commit abuses without consequences.
The UN has called the Rohingya one of
the world’s most persecuted groups. For
decades, they have faced state-sanctioned
discrimination
in
predominantly
Buddhist Myanmar.
In the past three years, Rohingya have
been targeted by violent mobs of Buddhist
extremists that left hundreds dead and
sparked an exodus of people ﬂeeing on
rickety, overcrowded vessels operated by
human trafﬁcking syndicates.
On Friday the UN warned of “ﬂoating
cofﬁns” and called on regional leaders to act.

CALL: Prince Harry

BRITAIN’S Prince Harry has thanked the
army for keeping him out of trouble and
has called for national service to be
brought back.
In an interview published in the Sunday
Times, the 30-year-old prince also
revealed that he’s content being single
and reﬂected on how the army gave him
a chance to “escape the limelight”.
“I dread to think where I’d be without the
army,” he said.

10

7DAYS

MONDAY MAY 18, 2015

Don’t pretend you don’t love
a bit of showbiz - you know you do...

Vadivelu may return to politics
ACTOR Vadivelu, who will next
be seen in Tamil comedy ‘Eli’,
says he’s still interested
in a career in
politics and may
return to it
sooner or later.
“There’s ample
time for 2016
assembly
elections and
anything could
happen before
that. I haven’t ruled
out a career in politics
yet,” Vadivelu said.
In 2011, the actor campaigned
for the DMK party in the
assembly elections in India,

however the party fared poorly
in the polls.
“Whatever happened
in the past was a
learning
experience. I
should’ve been a
little cautious,”
he said.
And Vadivelu
added he is
interested in
working in a
political comedy.
“I’m planning to do a
ﬁlm in which I play a chief
minister,” he said.
“ It’ll be an out-and-out
political satire.”

Ash on
equal
terms at
Cannes

Michelle raising cash
for quake victims
Star in Nepal when disaster struck
SHE was in Nepal as a tourist when the Buddhist leader Gyalwang Drukpa, the
quake unleashed death and destruction spiritual head of the 1,000-year-old
in the Himalayan nation. Now actress Drukpa Order based in India.
Michelle Yeoh, famous for her roles in
“I came across many babies who still
Oscar-winning ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden need immediate health attention. We
Dragon’ and James Bond film
have to nourish them and, of course,
‘Tomorrow Never Dies’, is raising
rehabilitate their mothers who still
money to help..
are in shock,” Yeoh said.
“It’s not a one-month or one“Providing
tents
is
the
year job but (will take) many
temporary relief at this point in
years to help the people in need.
time. But we have to provide them
And I am ready,” the Malaysianew accommodation, which can’t
born Yeoh said. “Rains are going
be built overnight. If we are
to set in this Himalayan terrain
reaching out to them now, we have
soon. Then there will be harsh
to be with them for years.”
winter. Time is running short. We
Yeoh was in Kathmandu with
still have to reach out to
fiance Jean Todt when a
many unfortunate ones.”
magnitude-7.8 quake hit
The actress, who is the
on April 25, killing more
brand ambassador of
than 8,200 people.
the ‘Live to Love’
That huge tremor
foundation, has visited
was followed by a
quake-hit villages on the
magnitude-7.3 quake
outskirts of Kathmandu
last Tuesday that
in recent days to see the
killed at least 117
work undertaken by the
people and injured
HELPING: Michelle Yeoh
foundation’s head and
about 2,800.

By George, that
was a good buy
A GUITAR George Harrison played
at a time when Beatlemania was
taking ﬂight has sold at a New York
auction.
Julien’s Auctions said the 1963
Mastersound electric guitar
(pictured) went for $490,000
(Dhs1.8 million) to an
undisclosed bidder. It
said Harrison
borrowed the
instrument from a
British music store
and played it on stage
several times in
England and in
Channel Islands in the
summer of 1963.
It was offered during a
two-day rock
memorabilia auction.
A ‘penguin’ suit that
Elvis Presley
wore on stage
in Las Vegas in
1975 sold for
nearly $122,000
(Dhs450,000).
A tank top
Madonna
wore sold for
$25,000
(Dhs91,000).

No boo hoo for Matt despite jeers
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY’S comeback
streak in recent years - the so-called
‘McConaissance’ - hit a bump at the
Cannes Film Festival premiere of Gus Van
Sant’s ‘The Sea of Trees’.
The film, about two men who find each
other in a Japanese “suicide forest”, was
greeted harshly by critics and was loudly
booed in its initial screenings to media.

But McConaughey said: “Anyone has as
much right to boo as they do to ovate.”
‘The Sea of Trees’ is about a man who
wrestles with guilt over a bitter marriage
and travels to Japan to kill himself.
Variety called the film “a risibly longwinded drama”.
The Hollywood Reporter slammed it as
“woefully sentimental and maudlin”.

Beyonce visits Haiti
BOLLYWOOD actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (pictured)
along with Hollywood star Salma Hayek attended a UN
women’s panel discussion on gender equality at the 68th
Cannes International Film Festival. The two stars were on
the panel that also included producers Elizabeth Karlsen
and Christine Vachon. Aishwarya, Indian ambassador of
L’Oreal Paris, wore a floral Sabyasachi Mukherjee creation.

POP queen Beyonce has paid a visit to Haiti to
look at the progress made since an earthquake
devastated the country ﬁve years ago.
Haiti UN mission spokeswoman Sophie Boutaud
de la Combe said that Beyonce was also able to
“meet some of the people who were affected by”
by the 2010 disaster in the impoverished
Caribbean country.
De la Combe said the American singer visited
Haiti with Valerie Amos, the United Nations’
humanitarian affairs chief and emergency relief
coordinator. Ofﬁcial estimates say the quake
claimed as many as 300,000 lives.

Janet promises to
go on world tour
SINGER Janet Jackson has promised
her fans “new music, new world tour”
this year.
The singer, sister of late pop star
Michael Jackson, tweeted a video at
the weekend showing footage of the
inside of a studio.
“I promised you’d hear it from my
lips, and now you will,” Janet said in
the narration.
“This year: new music, new world
tour, a new movement.”

MONDAY MAY 18, 2015

NEWS

Bombing at airport
Foreigners among
dead in ‘cowardly’
Taliban attack
A TALIBAN car suicide bomber has attacked a
convoy from the European Union police training
mission near the Afghan capital’s international
airport, killing at least three people, authorities
have said.
The attack in Kabul comes amid a stepped-up
Taliban campaign that saw its extremists attack a
guesthouse days earlier in Kabul, killing 14
people, including nine foreigners.
The car bomb exploded early yesterday
morning near the ofﬁce of the Afghan Civil
Aviation Authority, a few hundred metres from
the airport’s main terminal, said Najib Danish, a
deputy Interior Ministry spokesman.
The blast damaged one foreign vehicle and two
civilian vehicles, he said.
Sari Haukka-Konu, a spokeswoman for the EU’s
police mission, said one non-mission member
travelling in a EUPOL vehicle had been killed.
The British Embassy in Kabul identiﬁed the
dead Briton as a security contractor.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary Phil Hammond
described the attack as cowardly.
“These attacks must not stop the people of
Afghanistan, with the support of the
international community, working towards a
more peaceful future,” he said in a statement.

7DAYS

11

NEWS IN BRIEF
Tycoon arrested
and deported
CAMBODIA: A fugitive Russian
tycoon, who was living illegally in the
country, has been deported after he
was accused of embezzling $175
million (Dhs642 million) in his
homeland. Accompanied by Russian
authorities, Sergei Polonsky was put
on a ﬂight to Moscow via Vietnam
early yesterday after being arrested
on Friday in Sihanoukville.
The real estate tycoon was charged
in Russia in June 2013 with
embezzling more than 5.7 billion
rubles ($175 million) from 80
property investors.

Six children die
in ﬁre at home
BLAST: Afghan men are seen through the shattered window of a damaged car at the site of the attack

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said
the blast also killed two Afghans passing by and
wounded 18 people, including three foreigners.
Haukka-Konu said some of those wounded
including EUPOL mission members.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also
condemned the attack.
“The killing of innocent women and children
shows the terrorists have been defeated on the
battleﬁeld and are looking for alternative means
of killing innocent people,” Ghani said.
A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for

the attack in a statement emailed to journalists,
saying the bomber targeted “a convoy of foreign
invader forces”.
Meanwhile, a magnetic bomb attached to a
vehicle exploded on Saturday in Kabul’s eastern
suburbs, wounding one person, Sediqqi said.
Elsewhere, an explosion inside the campus of
Kabul University wounded two people, he said.
An Afghan Army helicopter also crashed
yesterday while on an exercise in Kabul’s
western outskirts, the Defence Ministry said.
Two pilots were injured.

PAKISTAN: A police ofﬁcer said six
siblings have died in a ﬁre in a
residential building in the eastern
city of Lahore.
Basharat Hasan said the ﬁre broke
out at the two-storey building due to
a short circuit early yesterday. He
said three boys aged ﬁve to 12 were
burned to death, while three girls aged seven, nine and 15 - died of
suffocation. He added their mother
was hospitalised in critical condition.
Their father was not home.
Rescue services reached the scene
an hour after being alerted.

12

7DAYS

NEWS

MONDAY MAY 18, 2015

Now pay
attention...

Kayakers
stick their
oar in
HUNDREDS of activists
took to the water in
kayaks, canoes,
paddleboards and other
vessels to protest Royal
Dutch Shell’s plan to drill
in the Arctic Ocean.
The ‘Shell No’ protest
was held in the shadow of
the corporation’s Polar
Pioneer drilling rig,
which is docked in
Seattle and will be used to
explore for oil near Alaska
this summer.
Many fear that an oil spill
in such a delicate and
remote region would be a
disaster on many levels.

Tech is taking its toll, says study
HUMANS now have shorter attention
spans than goldﬁsh because of the
increase in the use of digital technology,
according to a study by Microsoft.
The research claims that our
attention spans have reduced from 12
seconds to eight seconds in little more
than a decade.
The study sought to understand what
impact technology and today’s digital
lives are having on attention spans.
The researchers collected data from
surveys of more than 2,000 Canadians
over the age of 18.
They played games
and interacted online
to help scientists
determine the impact
of smartphones and
other digital media on
everyday life.
Participants’ brain
activity was recorded
and behaviour was
ﬁlmed while they
interacted
with

different social media platforms across
devices and in different environments.
The team measured how attention
levels varied by screen, task, content
type and structure.
The ﬁndings revealed that human
attention span has fallen from an
average of 12 seconds in the year 2000
to eight seconds today.
The study found that 77 per cent of
people aged 18 to 24 responded “yes”
when asked “When nothing is
occupying my attention, the ﬁrst thing I
do is reach for my
phone,” compared to
only 10 per cent of
those over age 65.
“Out of the 18 to 24
age group, more than
half admit to checking
their phone every 30
minutes or less and
over
three-quarters
used their portable
devices while watching
TV,” the report said.

Funeral held for ‘right-to-die’ teen
HUNDREDS of people gathered in
a Chilean town at the funeral of a
teenager who gained international
attention by making an online plea
for permission to end her life.
Valentina Maureira, 14, died on
Thursday from lung problems
caused by cystic ﬁbrosis.
Earlier this year, Valentina posted a
YouTube video in which she asked

Chilean President Michelle
Bachelet to allow her to be
euthanised and end her suffering.
Bachelet visited the girl at the
hospital (pictured), but the
government said it could not
approve her request.
Valentina later changed her mind
after meeting people who
responded to her video.

PAGE

14

MONDAY MAY 18, 2015

7DAYS BUSINESS
New addition to the stable

Price not right
DUBAI has become too
expensive for retail tourists,
the CEO of one of the region’s
largest retail ﬁrms has said.
Claiming a drop in luxury sales,
Jayant Ganwani, CEO of Lals
Group, told Arabian Business:
“Dubai has in many ways
become unaffordable to a lot
of the tourists.” He added his
ﬁrm had “found European
merchandise is sold here at a
far higher price in equivalent
dirhams than sold in Europe”.

FORD MUSTANG fans across the Middle East can
now see and test drive the all-new 2015 model at
their nearest Ford dealership.
The Mustang is the first car to offer four, six and
eight-cylinder engines that each produce at least
304 horsepower.
“Ford Mustang inspires passion like no other car,”
said Kalyana Sivagnanam, the marketing, sales and
service director for Ford Middle East and North
Africa. “The visceral look, sound and performance
of Mustang resonates with people across the region,
even if they’ve never driven one.
“Mustang is definitely more than just a car - it is the
heart and soul of Ford.”
Ford says it has sold more than nine million
Mustangs during the car’s 50 years of continuous
production.
The model has made thousands of appearances on
film and TV, as well as in music videos and games. It
is also the world’s most-liked vehicle on Facebook.
New design features include a lower, wider stance
with a reduction in roof height - and wider rear
bumpers and track. There’s also the return of the
fastback with a sleeker profile enabled by a more
steeply sloped windscreen and rear glass.
And the popular, powerful Mustang GT continues
with the latest edition of the throaty 5.0-litre
V8 - which now features an upgraded valvetrain
and cylinder heads that help boost output to 421
horsepower and 391lb-ft of torque.

How did your
provider do?
Du and
Etisalat
tested for
quality of
service

THERE was little to choose
between the UAE’s two mobile
networks in a new survey
by the Telecommunications
Regulatory Authority (TRA).
In the study of their
performance, Etisalat scored
98.59 per cent and competitor
du 98.55 per cent in the
call completion success rate
category.
The drop rate, which
measures the number of times
calls are cut off for technical
reasons, put Etisalat at 0.25 per
cent and du at 0.30 per cent.
In voice quality, Etisalat
scored 95.33 per cent and du
97.02 per cent. And in terms of double service
coverage - for both 2G and 3G - both Etisalat
and du “exceeded 99 per cent”, the TRA said.
The survey covered more than 13,000km of
the UAE’s roads at peak hours during working
days, the TRA added.
All seven emirates, as well as the Western
Region and major highways, were covered.
In addition, thousands of test calls and
application trial runs were performed along with
similar tests conducted indoors at 34 buildings
or major facilities across different emirates.

For indoor use, the call
completion success rate results
put Etisalat at 98.89 per cent
and du at 98.80 per cent.
For the call drop rate, Etisalat
was at 0.36 per cent, while du
was at 0.63 per cent. Voice
quality saw Etisalat at 97.73 per
cent and du at 97.48 per cent.
“The TRA has prioritised
the evaluation of quality of
the
services
offered
by
telecommunication network
operators,” said Hamad Obaid
Al Mansouri, the director general at the TRA. “As ICT sector
organisers, we conduct testing
and assessments that help track
the status of mobile networks in each phase
and the range of services provided in order to
increase the standard of service and attain
excellence - and promote healthy competition
amongst the operators.”
However, the statistics did not ring true with
all the ﬁrms’ customers. Abdulawal Chowdhury
posted on the 7DAYSUAE Facebook page:
“They have blocked all the applications that
can make voice calls or video calls and now asking are we happy? Well, we’ve got no choice as
there’s only two companies here.”

Landmark deal for developer
NAKHEEL’S new Al Khail
Avenue mall at Dubai’s
Jumeirah Village will feature
retail names such as Home
Centre, Centrepoint and
Emax, following a deal with
Landmark Group.
Landmark Group will

operate more than 25
brands at Al Khail Avenue,
which is being built
alongside Dubai’s Al Khail
Road, on the eastern edge of
Jumeirah Village Triangle.
A Waitrose and 14-screen
cinema will also be there.

PAGE 15

MetroLife
Food, fashion, movies and more...

May 18

, the
In 2003, Les Miserables or
ct
musical based on the Vi ore
m
r
te
af
Hugo novel, closed
0
68
than 16 years and 6,
ay
performances on Broadw

Who is in charge
around here?

FATHER AND SON:
Busy little boys can be a
blessing - and a tricky
proposition - for families

Chris Fraser might still earn
the respect of his own son,
with a bit of expert help

P

arenting is easy, said no one. Ever. But by
and large, even the least likely candidates
like myself sort of ‘get by’.
This past weekend heralded my son’s
fourth birthday. The proud milestone also
brought with it one nagging doubt.
Why won’t my son listen to me?
In my day, and yes, it was a long time ago, my
dad’s word was final - the law.
Now? Well, I’m not sure who’s the boss.
Time to call in the experts, in the form of Big On
Children’s ‘Super Granny’, a popular and
experienced parenting coach.
According to ‘Super Granny’, or Andalene Salvesen as
she’s also known, ‘we’ need a change of attitude.
The South African, author of the book ‘Five Steps to a
New Child’, pulls no punches.
“Have you ever done anything to discipline him,” asks
Andalene, a mother of four grown-ups and grandmother
of nine children, five minutes into a quick one-on-one as
I try to brief her on our particular situation.
The one where junior seems to resent any sort of input
from dear old dad.
“I’m not really the disciplinarian sort,” I splutter.
“Well that’s why he doesn’t respect you,” she replies as I
choke on my coffee.
Respect me? He was only three last week.
Andalene’s not trying to insult me, she’s just telling me
how a child would view the matter.
“You can’t be a pushover,” she explains. “I really believe
there has to be clear boundaries. If you think about the
teachers you had growing up, the ones that were
assertive, not mean, were the ones you respected.
“Your child doesn’t know what to expect from you,
because there’s simply no consequences. If the
government says ‘stop speeding’, and keeps saying it but
doesn’t do anything, well people are going to keep
speeding. So what we want is a predictable consequence
which is age appropriate. Age-appropriate
consequences make them think about what they have
done, and make them change their behaviour.”
The key, according to Andalene, is in the delivery.
Unfortunately this particular daddy isn’t exactly
the pushy type. In fact, Andalene nails the
issue almost immediately.
“It’s not your job to make them happy (as a
parent), it is your job to build character.”
But if any other wishy-washy sorts out there aren’t sure
about authority and freedom of choice, Andalene gives a
great example - the car seat. It’s black and white, there is
no debate in our household. Our son doesn’t even argue

any
more, he
accepts the
situation and sits in the
car seat without fail.
She says: “One of the key things is
if you ‘ask’ him to do something when
you mean ‘do something’. If it is an
instruction, then don’t say it as a question. Say
what you mean and mean what you say.”
Andalene has seen it all. From babies who
just won’t sleep through to troublesome
teens, she’s well known for her remedial
work, the routines and rules that can make
family life that little easier for all concerned.
She says: “It is never too late. The earlier you catch it
the easier it is to correct and the longer you leave it,
the more difficult it is. But you can correct it.
“The first step is to have an attitude - you are in
charge. Think ‘wait a minute, I can do this’ and they
will smell that, tell you have changed your attitude
and respond to it. - just be in charge.
The good news for me and my boy, not to mention
my wife and our six-month-old daughter, is that
the changes don’t have to be too drastic.
“Being a good leader doesn’t mean being a
dictator, but rather someone that another wants to
follow and that’s what a parent needs to be, a good
leader.” chris.fraser@7days.ae

UPCOMING TALKS WITH SUPER GRANNY
>> May 20: ‘Sibling Rivalry’ at Blossom
Nursery, Umm Suqeim 9am
>> May 25: ‘Parenting with a
Purpose’ at GEMS Wellington 8am
>> May 25: ‘Diet, Routine and
Discipline from Baby to Toddler’ at
Just Kidding Wafi Mall 10am
>> May 26: ‘Punishment v
Discipline’ at British Orchard
Nursery Media City 8.30am
>> May 27: ‘Temperaments and Personality Types’ at
Blossom Nursery Dubai Downtown 9am
>> May 31: ‘Character Building or Discipline’ at Kids HQ
Umm Suqeim Road 10am
For more information on Big On Children’s Super Granny, see
munchkins.me or email pernille@supergranny.me

Have you any particular parenting tips for this dad? Tweet us @7DAYSUAELife

PAGE

16

7DAYS

...your essential
guide to what’s on

Diary

Atlantis in full bloom
Chelsea
Flower
Show

MONDAY MAY 18, 2015

Start getting active
Get the basics of
bouldering at a Rock
Republic introductory
session.
Happening on the first
and third Monday of the
month, you will learn
about the climbing
grading system and fit
in a lot of wall practice.
Dhs150 cost includes
session, entrance and
shoe rental. 6-9pm.
04 882 9361

The iconic Atlantis, The Palm will be recreated in all its
glory at the world-famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show in
London, starting tomorrow.
The reproduction, using colourful flowers and plants,
will stand at 1.5m tall and 1.5m wide.
To celebrate that special appearance in the UK, the
Atlantis will be hosting a special Chelsea Flower Show
afternoon tea and dinner with the help of local florist Al
Lokrit International and luxury tea brand TWG. Dine on
a floral-themed menu while appreciating the flowerdecked decor. ShiQui Spa is also offering a luxurious
Rose Radiance facial. Call 04 426 2626
Learn how to
ride a longboard
and shred the
streets with a
‘Dubai on
Wheels Club’
beginner
session.
Passionate
skater Saeed will
guide newbies
on board basics,
balance and
safety tips
tonight at
7.30pm near
Cluster V in JLT.
More info at
meetup.com/du
baionwheels

Film noir
Experience the film
festival thrill at The
Space Abu Dhabi’s
Cannes series.
‘The White
Ribbon’,
directed by
Michael
Haneke, is a
black-and-white
film which
depicts life in a
German village
before WWI. 7.30pm
RSVP at cinemaspacethewhiteribbon.splashthat.com

Get
the
massage

Ride with the girls tonight at Nad Al
Sheba Cycle Park. Liv, the cycling brand
dedicated to women, will be hitting the
8km track for some easy laps at 5.30pm
and 7.30pm. Perfect for those looking to
get back into the saddle, or beginners
looking for tips. liv-cycling.com

Nuyou beauty centre in Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa
City A is offering ‘Massage Mondays’, a
great way to beat the stress before the week
gets on top of you. Choose from Swedish,
aromatherapy, lymphatic drainage and
more, and chill out! The session costs just
Dhs150. Call 02 557 7225 to book

In living
colour

Curated by Gulf Photo Plus, The RGB Exhibition features portrait
to landscape photography in red, blue and green from regional
talents. Show opens tonight at 7pm and runs until July 25 at the
GPP Gallery Space in Alserkal. gulfphotoplus.com

7DAYS

MONDAY MAY 18, 2015

PAGE

17

Shopping

Hide from
the heat
With temperatures on the rise,
cover-ups, maxi dresses and kaftans
will help you keep cool and
conservative in sophisticated style

MAXI
OUTPUT

High-street
favourite
H&M has
just
launched
beauty
lines,
available in
H&M
stores. The
line will include make-up, hair care,
body care and beauty tools - all at
reasonable prices. See hm.com/ae

Short and sweet

Bagable
S*UCE-Y

Enjoy airflow in
style with a lacey
number like this
one from S*uce.
Perfect to go from
work to dinner. See
shopatsauce.com

DRESS
TO IMPRESS

For a bit of dazzle
that’s perfect for
evening celebrations
with a light lining,
head to Label 24.
See label24.ae
JUMP INTO
SUMMER: F&F has
just launched its
summer line,
available at Dalma
Mall, Oasis Centre,
and around the UAE

Kiss ’n make up

It’s all about
punchy colours,
fruits and fun for
the boys this
summer.
Choose from a
range of
tropical prints
from all the
short
favourites, including these from
Vilebrequin, available at StyleBop.
See stylebop.com for full range

BLAZER GLORY

A splash of colour
in your blazer or
cardi; light and
lush makes any
plain outfit fun
and summery.
From bebe.com

A cinched waist will
give you shape, while
the dazzling prints
give life to your
sweeping maxi.
From Koton.

IN THE BAG

CARDI PARTY

Opt for a light kimono or kaftan to cover
up, while still keeping cool. Get yours
from Parfois. parfois.com

Good news for
bag lovers,
Aranaz is now
available in the
UAE. The tropical
handbag brand is
manufactured in
the Philippines,
and includes
special
techniques
including woven
sea grass. See
aranaz.ph

‘Wow’ factor
Touch up your
regrowth or your
fading colour with
Color Wow. The hair
innovation livens
up your colour
and helps conceal
and blend
unsightly regrowth.
Available at hair
salons including Marquee. See
colorwowhair.com

1. I am an English novelist and my books have
sold more than 500 million copies worldwide.
2. I have written 29 novels that have appeared on
the New York Times Bestsellers List.
3. I have written novels such as ‘Hollywood Wives’
and ‘Lucky’.
Yesterday’s answer: Brandon Lee

DOWN
1. The Italian man about town (5)
2. Such action will be involuntary (6)
3. It has a strong pull in the port
trade (3)
4. Gear case? (3-3)
5. It’s beastly being a long time in
one occupation (7)
8. He’s not free, yet may
have time (7)
11. Soldier on a horse, or ship (7)
13. Acid criticism (7)
15. Stop a letter giving settlement (6)
16. Lot of Arabs (6)
17. Don’t have any main course? (5)
20. Assume a name (3)

1. Which planet in our solar system takes the
longest to orbit the sun?
2. Which country’s international vehicle registration
code is CH?
3. Mr Joky Cleaners is an anagram of which
controversial TV presenter?
4. Dactylography is the study of what?
5. Kenyan Dennis Kimetto holds the world record
time in which sporting event?
6. Which is the third highest mountain in the world?
7. What is the correct name for a baby camel?
ANSWERS: 1. Neptune 2. Switzerland 3. Jeremy Clarkson 4. Fingerprints
5. Marathon (2hr, 2mins 57 seconds) 6. Kangchenjunga (in Himalayas) 7. Calf

CRYPTIC CLUES
ACROSS
6. No inner sanctuary (4-3)
7. Cried out for a drink (5)
9. Match label (5)
10. Get together - for getting in the
harvest (7)
12. Having no saving graces? (11)
14. Not a difficult thing to eat?
(5,2,4)
18. His money may be
well-earned (7)
19. Taking an excessive interest (5)
21. Drinks and a sandwich (5)
22. Succeed in losing one’s
balance? (4,3)

MONDAY MAY 18, 2015

7DAYS

Send emails to: letters@7days.ae

Dear 7DAYS... ‘

19

Have your say on
the country’s most
opinionated page

Roadside adverts driving
motorists to distraction
I wasn’t surprised to read that people find
roads less safe than before - ‘Report
shows driving standards in UAE are
slipping’ (7DAYS, May 14).
While I acknowledge the improvements in
the road networks, I for one think the
authorities are at fault for allowing drivers
to be so easily distracted by those
obscenely large advertising hoardings that
seem to be taking over Dubai. No way
those would be allowed in most countries
as they are designed to attract the drivers
attention away from the road in front.
If Dubai is serious about improving road
safety then the authorities should remove
these eyesores, along with those silly little
ones in the central reservation and focus
on limiting the distractions to drivers. We
all know drivers need to improve their
standards so let’s not distract them with
giant pictures of shiny cars and watches.
Biff
Barsha

More parking woe for
workers in media city
Dear Mark (‘All those empty spaces yet
nowhere to park’ - 7DAYS Letters, May
17), I run a small company in DMC and
the parking situation is so illogical and

frustrating that clients no longer visit our
offices. Our staff have to come to the
office before 8am - circling around the
already full parking lots to find parking and my husband and I share the only
parking card between us. This means
when I’m there he cannot come and
vice versa.
We are happy to pay for extra parking
cards but are not allowed... The paradox
is that there are empty spaces, waiting to
be filled. Clearly not by us. Could the DMC
authorities kindly put us out of our misery
and give us parking infrastructure which
can allow us to function properly?
Lisa
Dubai

Reader in plea for help to
find and return lost rings
I wonder if 7DAYS and the Dubai people
can help me? I lost three platinum and
diamond rings on the mezzanine level of
the IKEA car park in Festival City at
approximately 5.30 pm on Wednesday. My
engagement ring, wedding ring (which is
engraved on the inside) and my eternity
ring. These are of huge sentimental value
to me and I will reward anyone who is able
to return them to me. I have done
everything I can think of to find them,
including crawling around the floor of the
car park.
Tracy Donnelly
Dubai

YOUR
PICTURES

This picture of Sharjah Corniche was shared by Mohammed
Nawaz. Send your pictures to letters@7days.ae

Wage protection system?
we haven’t been paid…
I would like to know what the Wage
Protection System (WPS) actually does as
my salary has been late for the past six
months and all of us in Dubai and Abu
Dhabi haven’t been paid for almost three
months. If I complain to the MoL I will lose
my job, with family to support back home I
can’t lose my job. So the WPS does what?
Stop the company from applying for
visas? Wow that’s harsh; a company can’t
pay their staff so they are stopped from
hiring more? Hardly seems logical. Now all
wages go to the WPS and are distributed
by the system so the WPS knows who has
been paid and who hasn’t, so why is no
one doing anything. If there are fewer
companies acting like this as its been
reported it means there is less work to be
done, if there’s less work to be done why
has no one from these departments held
bosses accountable?
Not paid
UAE

Employer hits back on
issue of maid attitude
What narrow-minded reactions. Why don’t
you all go back and actually READ the
letter again. The points made are valid...
would you show up to an interview with
such attitudes? I think not. I have a right to
protect my home and family by expecting
to interview a person suitable for the job
not some person who thinks its their right
to demand a visa and money from me. If
you are
offended then
“good” you
should be,
maybe you will
think about your
attitudes before
trying to demand
money for a job
that you have
little interest in
just to get a visa,
this is my home
not an
immigration office. Maids get to live in
accommodation for free, eat for free and
get treated like part of the family, they do
basic household chores, its not rocket
science is it? The law states that maids
should be paid 1500, unfortunate yes, my
fault? No. All occupations come with
varying salaries, if you don’t like the salary
that cleaners get then don’t be a cleaner!
Also be careful what you wish for because
when the day comes when cleaners are
expensive no one is going to hire you.
How will you get a visa then?
Mommie
UAE

’

The conversation

continues...
Police tackle tailgating by educating
drivers on safe stopping distances
“The problem isn’t the lack of
education. The problem is with
their attitude.”
BINOY JOHN

“I think the guy who, just before
the Business Bay bridge,
overtook me today by going
over the yellow line has taken
the ‘no tailgating’ rule too
seriously.”
KEVIN SOUTHAM

“Driving on the hard shoulder is worse than tailgating!”
FRANK N STEIN

“You drive like that in the UK and you wouldn’t last 5 minutes. If it was
not the British Transport Police sorting you out it would be other drivers
who just would not put up with these selfish, dangerous, inconsiderate
and many other things people and would pull them over. There would
be a new series of road rage on tv that is for sure!”
DAVID WARREN

“Tailgating only happens on the left most lane. It’s where the really fast
drivers are. My simple rule; if you don’t want to be tailgated then do as
i do and avoid that lane! It happens when some smarty pants strays on
to that lane and refuses to move. Thats called road hogging!”
FRANK N STEIN

“OK… educate slow drivers to move away from the left (fast) lane and
then educate drivers not to squeeze in safe distance between cars.
People seem to be tailgating because of these two reasons. The rest
are just violators with attitude problem who won’t give you enough time
to move right for them.”
ALI ‘JAGOOR’ FAHS

Nepal Embassy offers airfare help for
expats desperate to get to quake-hit homes
“I pray their employers are also as
generous and supportive when it
comes to allowing them the time
off to take advantage of this
generous offer......”
TRACY FRENCH

“Now that’s a fantastic and
generous offer to those workers
who are desperate to find and
support their families back home
in nepal.”
WILLIAM G BROWN

Comment online at 7DAYSinDubai.com
7DAYSinAbuDhabi.com

20

ON THE OCHE IN DUBAI

MONDAY MAY 18, 2015

SPORT

Watch the preview video and
see who is playing in the 2015
Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters.
See 7DAYSinDubai.com/sports

‘No KP
weakens
England’

Clarke speaks out on the big issue
AUSTRALIA Test captain
Michael Clarke says he feels
for Kevin Pietersen and would
like to see him back in the
England side - to a degree.
The controversial batsman was
informed last week by England’s
new director of cricket, Andrew
Strauss, that he would not be
returning to the England side
this summer because of a
“massive trust issue”.
Yet Clarke (below), who will
captain Pietersen in the
Melbourne Stars’ Big Bash
Twenty20 side next season,
feels he deserves a place
in the England side.
“There’s probably two
sides for me: there’s the
personal side where
obviously I feel for KP,
because I get on well
with him and I’d
love to see him
back playing for
England,” said
Clarke. “His form
has been
outstanding and
he’s still a great
player and I know
he wants to play, so
I feel for him on that
side. The other side
[is] we go there soon

to play against England, so any
team without Kevin Pietersen in
it I don’t think is as strong.”
The Ashes begin with the first of
five Test matches in Cardiff,
Wales on July 8.
HADDIN RETIRES FROM ODIs
Australia wicketkeeper Brad
Haddin has announced his
retirement from one-day
international cricket.
Haddin’s 126-match ODI career
began against Zimbabwe at
Hobart in January 2001 and
ended with Australia’s World
Cup victory over New
Zealand at the Melbourne
Cricket Ground on March 29.
The 37-year-old claimed 170
catches and 11 stumpings in
his ODI career, leaving
him with the thirdmost dismissals for
a wicketkeeper in
Australia behind
Adam Gilchrist
and Ian Healy.
Haddin scored
3,122 runs at an
average of 31.53
with a top score
of 110 but
revealed that “now
is the right time to
walk away.”

STRAUSS:
NEW COACH
MUST ACCEPT
KP STANCE
ENGLAND’S new director
of cricket Andrew Strauss
has insisted that he will
only hire a head coach
who agrees that Kevin
Pietersen should not be
in the international fold
this summer.
Strauss has been charged
with replacing the recently
sacked Peter Moores and
admitted that front-runner
Jason Gillespie was on his
radar. However, it seems
any potential candidate
must agree with Strauss’
stance on Pietersen.
“Any coach who comes
into the England
environment will know the
situation,” said Strauss.
“And he also, if his
philosophy is aligned with
mine, will understand the
importance of trust in a
team environment and why
we made the call we made
[on Pietersen] - because
trust doesn’t exist.
“So I would have thought
he’d understand the
situation and be willing to
work on those terms.”
Strauss hopes to appoint a
new head coach in the
coming weeks, but in the
meantime Paul Farbrace
will take the reigns in
England’s opening Test
match against New
Zealand beginning this
Thursday at Lord’s.

SPORTS DIGEST
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“GREAT HORSES DO GREAT THINGS,
AND I THINK HE SHOWED THAT. I DON’T
EVEN WANT TO THINK ABOUT THE
TRIPLE CROWN RIGHT NOW.”
TRAINER BOB BAFFERT REFUSES TO DISCUSS AMERICAN
PHAROAH’S CHANCES OF BECOMING THE FIRST HORSE SINCE
1978 TO CLAIM THE AMERICAN TRIPLE CROWN AFTER THE
COLT BREEZED TO VICTORY IN THE PREAKNESS STAKES.

12

PSG won their third

consecutive league title on
Sunday and remain in with a
chance of a domestic treble.
But perhaps the most
amazing statistic belongs to
star striker Zlatan
Ibrahimovic who clinched
his 12th title in 14 seasons.
He has won two titles in
Holland, six in Italy, one in
Spain and three in France.

A GRAND VICTORY
ALBANIAN striker Besart
Berisha helped Melbourne
Victory beat Sydney FC 3-0
to claim a historic third
A-League title. Berisha
struck a sweet half-volley
to open the scoring before
late goals from Kosta
Barbarouses and Leigh
Broxham gave Melbourne
an empathic win in
the Grand Final.

ICC DECLINE TO SEND
UMPIRES TO PAKISTAN
The ICC revealed they will
not be sending match
officials to Pakistan due to
security concerns ahead of
next week’s limited-overs
series between Pakistan
and Zimbabwe in Lahore.
The Pakistan Cricket Board
will appoint local match
officials to stand in for the
ICC officials for the duration
of the series, which has
received official status.

SPORT

MONDAY MAY 18, 2015

7DAYS

21

UAE SPORTS DIGEST
ADOR BATTLE BACK IN NEWPORT
ABU DHABI Ocean Racing (ADOR)
surged back to the top of the Volvo
Ocean Race In-Port Race Series
(IPRS) leaderboard after battling
back from last place to finish
third in the American leg of the
‘sprint’ competition.
The result in Newport, Rhode Island
was the team’s 12th podium result
from 13 starts in this edition of the
race and means they now top the
IPRS table as well as top spot on
the leaderboard for the main race.

See the new look
Abu Dhabi
DS 3 WRC at
7DAYSinDubai.com/sports

RALLY TEAM AIM TO CONTINUE RUN IN PORTUGAL

BLIND HIGH SCHOOL POLE VAULTER WINS MEDAL
FOR THREE years, Charlotte
Brown has been chasing a medal
by trying to jump over a bar she
couldn’t see.
The senior pole vaulter cleared
that bar on Saturday, earning a
third-place finish at the Texas state
high school championships. And

proudly joining her on the podium
as the bronze medal was draped
around her neck - her service dog
Vador (pictured, above).
Brown is blind, yet that’s not
stopped her quest to become one
of the best in an event that would
seem next to impossible.

“I finally did it,” said 17-year-old
Brown. “If I could send a
message to anybody, it’s not
about pole vaulting and it’s not
about track. It’s about finding
something that makes you happy
despite whatever obstacles are in
your way.”

FOLLOWING their 1-2 finish in Argentina, the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World
Rally Team head to Portugal this weekend to compete in the fifth round of the
World Rally Championship. Driver Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi said: “I am hoping
we can repeat the Rally Argentina scenario and compete for first place.”

5
AL NASR took top spot in the

Under-14s and Al Jazeera were
victorious in the Under-16s at the
President’s Cup water polo
championship. Five teams
competed in the tournament.

3
AFTER winning three consecutive
legs in the Pharaons Rally Egypt,
Emirati biker Mohammed Balooshi
had to settle for third overall. The
podium finish means he is now up
to third in the world rankings.

22 7DAYS

SPORT

MONDAY MAY 18, 2015

RYAN’S FIJI FLYERS WRAP
UP SEVENS SERIES TITLE

ANOTHER KO FOR GGG
GENNADY GOLOVKIN stopped Willie

Monroe Jr in the sixth round of their
middleweight contest to register his 20th
knockout in a row. The former
Kazakh Olympian won his 14th consecutive
title defence as he increased his
record to 33-0 (30 KOs).

Sharapova’s heading
to France in top form
Russian wins third Italian Open and 35th career title

MARIA SHARAPOVA rallied from a set
down to beat Carla Suarez Navarro
4-6, 7-5, 6-1 and win her third Italian
Open title.
Suarez Navarro battled hard and came
within two games of victory in
the second set before
Sharapova reeled
off eight straight
points to force a
decider.
The Spaniard then
wilted in the heat as
Sharapova took
control of the third
set to win her 35th
career title.
“It’s always a special victory,”
the Russian said during the

trophy presentation. “It isn’t my first time
but when I’m able to hold the trophy
again it brings back memories of
winning it the first time.
“I remember coming to Italy as a little
girl and this was one of the
tournaments I dreamed of
playing, Now to win it for a
third time is very special.”
With the temperature
soaring above 30 Celsius in
Rome, Sharapova struggled
for long stretches to figure
out Suarez Navarro's
spins, slices and
heavy topspin shots.
The tenth seed
stormed to the first
set but once

Sharapova started stepping into the
court, attacking the Spaniard’s serve and
finding the corners, she never looked
like relinquishing control.
The victory will undoubtedly give
Sharapova plenty of confidence on clay
as she prepares to defend her French
Open title.
The 28-year-old will be seeded second
at Roland Garros when the tournament
gets underway on May 24.
Meanwhile, in the women’s doubles
there was a surprise as top seeds
Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis were
beaten 6-4, 6-3 by Timea Babos and
Kristina Mladenovic.
The third seeds took just one hour and
13 minutes to secure the title in
emphatic fashion.

FIJI WON the overall
Sevens World Series
title after a 19-7 quarterfinal victory over nearest
challengers South Africa
at the London Sevens.
The Fijians entered the
series with a five-point
lead over the South
Africans, and victory
gave them an
unassailable lead in the
season standings,
ending New Zealand’s
four-year reign.
Their second series
crown in 15 years, and

first since 2006, also
underlined the decision
to hire former England
Sevens coach Ben Ryan
in 2013.
Ryan said: “I can’t really
put it into words at the
moment, we were just
focusing on the South
Africa game.
“The boys were very
overly emotional in the
changing room and I
had to control them a bit
and remind them to start
smiling and that this is
supposed to be fun.”

Morrison reigns in
Spain over Jimenez
ENGLAND’S James
Morrison won the Spanish
Open by four shots after
shooting a 3-under 69 in
yesterday’s final round.
Morrison entered the day
tied for the lead with David
Howell and pulled away by
hitting three birdies while
not dropping a shot to
finish the tournament on a
total of 10-under 278.
It was the 29-year-old
Morrison’s second career
win on the European
Tour after his first came
at the Madeira Islands
Open in 2010.
Defending champion
Miguel Angel Jimenez rose
into a tie for second after
the Spaniard eagled the
fourth hole en route to a

67. Howell (73), Francesco
Molinari (71) and Edouard
Espana (69) also shared
second place.
“It feels amazing,” said
Morrison. “It’s been five
years and I’ve had a lot of
chances between then and
now to win and haven’t
done it but I drew on all my
experience and got over the
line. The game plan was to
stick to my process - I know
it’s a cliché but it’s true.
“In years past when I
haven’t done it it’s been
too much looking at
leaderboards, and even
down to that last putt I
wanted to hole that putt
badly and stuck to my
process and executed
which feels amazing.”

SPORTS DIGEST
TWEET OF THE DAY
“RECEIVED THE MESSAGE ON
POGBA, I SHARE YOUR
OPINION, WE WILL HAVE TO
CLUB TOGETHER!”
FORMER FRENCH PRESIDENT NICOLAS SARKOZY, A
PARIS SAINT-GERMAN FAN, IN A REPLY ON TWITTER
WHEN ASKED HOW THE CLUB COULD SIGN JUVENTUS
MIDFIELDER PAUL POGBA.

400

MIGUEL CABRERA hit

his 400th career home run
as the Detroit Tigers
secured a 4-3, 10-inning
victory over the St Louis
Cardinals in MLB. Cabrera’s
milestone shot gave him the
most home runs by a
Venezuelan-born player.
“That means a lot to me,”
Cabrera said about the
milestone. “But I just want
to win and play games.”

YAMAHA 1-2 AT LE MANS
JORGE LORENZO

led a Yamaha 1-2
ahead of teammate
Valentino Rossi in
the French MotoGP
at Le Mans.
The Spaniard was in
commanding form as
he made it back-toback MotoGP wins.

EVEN IN RETIREMENT
LIU IS STILL A HERO

Defending world champion
David Oliver won the men’s
110-metre hurdles at the
Shanghai Diamond League
meet yesterday, but it was
recently retired Chinese
hurdler Liu Xiang who got the
biggest ovation. Liu, who
became one of China’s most
celebrated athletes when he
won the hurdles gold at the
2004 Athens Olympics, retired
a month ago at the age of 31
due to recurring injuries.

SPORT

MONDAY MAY 18, 2015

7DAYS

Good luck
in your
retirement
Stevie G...

LIVERMORE’S
FAILED DRUGS
TEST ANGERS
HULL BOSS
HULL CITY manager Steve
Bruce said he was
“shocked, saddened,
disappointed and angry”
after learning that
midfielder Jake Livermore
had failed a drugs test.
“I can’t come to terms with
it, if I’m being honest,”
said Bruce.
“The conversation I had
with him is the hardest
conversation I’ve ever had
with any footballer.”
Livermore, who won his
only England cap in 2012,
was suspended by the
English Football
Association and Hull on
Friday and could now face
a ban of up to two years.
Late on Saturday it was
revealed that Sheffield
United’s Jose Baxter and
Wolves goalkeeper Aaron
McCarey had both also
failed drugs tests.

Surely that was a testimonial
match we all were watching
on Saturday at Anﬁeld?

COMMENT by Mike Starling
SO IN CASE you were living
under a rock for the past week
and missed it, you may not know
that Steven Gerrard has played
his last game at Anfield for his
beloved Liverpool.
In ridiculous scenes similar to the
Beatles landing at New York JFK or
One Direction playing a concert to
50,000 teenage girls, the Reds
skipper was treated to an over-thetop reception from Liverpool fans in
his “testimonial” match against
Crystal Palace.
Before you question my knowledge
of football, I do realise that it was
not actually Mr G’s testimonial
game. But it sure felt like it was.
I don’t know what the rest of you

23

were thinking, but did not you find
of condolences (Twitter) for fans
it a bit sickly how much coverage
and ex-players to give him a sendwas given to Captain Fantastic’s
off? Of course not.
final match at Anfield? As someone
Since when was the 85th-minute
here said, “It’s some bloke from
substitution and lap of honour after
Liverpool who has got a job in the
the game not enough?
States”. I agree, that’s all it was.
The thing that really gets me about
Of course Gerrard deserves the
all this is the fact that Stevie G is
plaudits for somehow singlenot even retiring. If he was retiring
handedly
as a “one-man,
keeping
one-club” player
Liverpool in the
then OK I would
top half of the
understand, but
Premier League
he’s off to LA to
The number of appearances Gerrard has made chase the dollar
for so many
for Liverpool - he has scored 185 goals
years, but what
and earn a small
we saw at Anfield
fortune in Major
was nothing short of cringeworthy.
League Soccer. I can’t seem to
Did it really need the live TV
remember Tony Adams, Paul
interview just before the match, the
Scholes or Ryan Giggs getting this
“Special Stevie Scarves”, the
sort of send-off, can you?
inflated ticket prices and the book
I like Gerrard as a player and I

709

admire Liverpool as a club, but
Saturday’s scenes were nothing
short of embarrassing.
Did Brendan Rodgers and his
squad actually forget they were
playing for three vital points in
order to secure fifth place and a
spot in the Europa League?
The 3-1 loss means there is only
one point between the fifth-placed
Reds and Southampton in seventh.
This means that Liverpool now
have to travel to Stoke next week
for “Stevie G’s final ever, ever, ever
game”. Do you think that Mark
Hughes’ Stoke side will be that
welcoming for Stevie and his pals?
The Reds may end the season in
seventh place - with no spot in
Europe, no Captain Fantastic, just
more tears on the Kop.
mike@7days.ae

BOCA KICKED OUT OF
COPA LIBERTADORES
Argentine club Boca
Juniors have been
expelled from the Copa
Libertadores after some of
the team’s fans sprayed
River Plate players with an
irritant on Thursday.
Boca have also been hit
with a $200,000 fine and
must play four home
games behind closed
doors and four away
matches without support.
The last-16 match
between the Argentine
rivals was abandoned with
the game at 0-0 because
of the incident. Four River
Plate players were taken
to hospital following the
attack at half-time.
River Plate will now
advance to the quarterfinals of the competition,
which is the continent’s
equivalent to the
Champions League.

Toure brace downs battling Swans
MANCHESTER CITY remain on course
for second spot in the Premier League
after overcoming Swansea City 4-2 in
a hugely entertaining game at the
Liberty Stadium.
Yaya Toure struck twice as he went past
50 goals in the Premier League and
James Milner was also on target before
Wilfried Bony, on as a late substitute,
scored against his former club.
City were given an almighty scare
though when they allowed a two-goal
lead to slip as Gylfi Sigurdsson and

Bafetimbi Gomis leveled matters at
2-2 in the second-half.
But Toure would drive home his second
before Bony produced a cool finish to
wrap up all three points for City.
“It was an attractive game for the
fans,” said City boss Manuel
Pellegrini. “We needed to win to
ensure we were in Europe.
“We conceded two easy goals but I
am happy with the performance
against a good team.”
Asked to give his thoughts on the

performance of Toure, who has been
heavily linked with a move away from
City, Pellegrini added: “I didn’t have
any doubts about Yaya.
“The media started with him after his
birthday. After that he went to Africa
Cup and we couldn’t win. Maybe an
important player has more criticism.”
While City are assured of a place in
next season’s Champions League,
Swansea will miss out on European
football as they cannot finish higher
than eighth.